Food

K, here we go. I didn't want to post this one right away. I had to know if I was totally crazy for trying to be gluten/dairy free on this trip. After 7 days of hiking I feel great about the food i started with.

Here is a rough starting outline of the 'ol diet:

Thai kitchen single-serve noodle packs (which they totally carry at Mountain Crossings at Neel Gap! Made my day that i could resupply to easily get me to Hiawasee!)

Tuna

Beef-jerkey (thanks mom, gf jerkey is IMPOSSIBLE to find)

Oatmeal

Larabars and a few other gf bars i can't remember the names of now.

Homemade trailmix (each bag a little different but some mix of nuts/seeds/dried fruit/wasabi peas/gf,df chocolate chips etc)

Gf granola

So how do you get to the trailhead?

There are numerous shuttle services that will grab you at the airport and take you to trailhead. There are also hostels that provide shuttles, which is what i chose to do. In fact, I'm currently writing from a swing on the back patio of the Hiker Hostel in Suches, GA. This adorable little place provides a shuttle to/from your bunk, breakfast, and a canister of fuel for low, lump sum. Plus, the staff and guests are SUPER friendly... easy. Oh, and Lillies in the front entry way made me feel welcomed in Georgia!

That's my way of saying "mom, I'm here and safe. Love you!"

And in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight!

Good morning Colorado! And good morning to all who read this post!

I'M AT THE AIRPORT,AAAAAAAAA! Holy cow... It's crazy, this trip has been just an idea, a fantastical, distant, vague idea for a number of months. I'm struggling to adjust my mind set, to convince myself of the trip's tangibleness.

So, i took my clothes out of my pack, and put all of the things in the outside pockets inside so that i could check my backpack with some degree of confidence. That weight was 20.5lbs. I'm totally going to end up being under 30!

Eeeeeeeeee, I  just can't believe this is real life.

The Gear Post

Home for the next 6 months!

What's inside?

Well, here it is! The List:

Pack: Osprey Talon 44

Sleeping bag: Marmot Angelfire 15 deg

Sleeping pad: REI corelight 1.5

Hammock: ENO double nest, slap straps pro, pro-fly, 4 aluminum tent steaks

Water: Platypus Gravity Works and hydration hose

Stove: Jetboil Sol, fuel canister

Other odds and ends: First aid kit, change of clothes and socks, camp towel and 2oz bottle of Dr. Bronners, headlamp, 50ft of extra cord, Swiss Army knife, compass, raincoat, pack cover, AT thru-hikers guide, cell phone, and a few person items.

Dry weight (everything but food and water): 18.4lbs

5 Common Questions: Answered

So there are a number of questions that I get ALL OF THE TIME. Let's just get a few of them out of the way, now, so that we can get to the fun stuff!

1. Are you going to carry a gun?

You would not believe how many people ask this question. Common relatives of this questions are "What kind of gun are you taking?" and "What are you taking for personal protection?" And although I appreciate the concern for my safety that underlies this question, answering it daily feels just a little over the top... Oh, and the answer is... NO!!! In fact, every single organization associated with the Appalachian Trail highly discourages hikers from carrying firearms.

2. How on Earth are you going to carry enough food and water for a 2200 mile, 6 month trip?

This is a fun one to answer. Half of the U.S. population lives within a day's drive of the Appalachian Trail; based on the density of the population that must exist for this statistic to be true, logic suggests there is bound to be enough access to civilization to periodically to re-supply somewhere on my journey. So although this is a 'back-country' trip, the trail has to either cross or comes within a few short miles of grocery and outdoor stores with some sort of frequency, right?

Right! In fact the AT goes right down the middle of many towns along the way.

3. How will you know when to resupply?

I picked up this nifty book "Appalachian Trail Thru-hikers' Companion" issued by the ATC. It outlines each portion of the trail by state, giving details about major landmarks, road and stream crossings, shelters, and nearby towns. It also gives the distance from both Springer Mountain (Georgia) and Mt. Katahdin (Maine), so simple subtraction tells me how far towns are from each other.

4. How will you get help if you need it? 

Well, I will have my cell phone... did I mention that half of the U.S. population...? You can see where I'm going with this. Besides, with the thousands of people who hike the trail each year, what is the likelihood that I won't see someone else? AND... Did I mention my wicked sharp survival skills?

5. What kind of tent are you taking?

Easy... I'm not.
I'm packing a sleeping pad for shelters or an extra insulating layer in my.... camp hammock. Yes, they make a rain-fly for over your hammock, and yes, I own one. And unlike a tent rain-fly, it can be erected independently, adjusted to any height I choose, and cooked under without concerns of carbon-monoxide poisoning!



Keep in mind, many of these answers are based on information I've gleaned from the internet and individuals who have hiked the trail. I may get out there and find my earlier suppositions to be only half-true (maybe even completely false). I'm excited to discover how viable all of the information I have gathered really is... it is my hope to expound on these answers as a travel!

A little info about the AT

Here are a few quick facts about the Appalachian Trail (compliments of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's website):   

• Thousands of volunteers contribute roughly 200,000 hours to the A.T. every year.

• More than 250 three-sided shelters exist along the Trail.
• Virginia is home to the most miles of the Trail (about 550), while West Virginia is home to the least (about 4).
• Maryland and West Virginia are the easiest states to hike; New Hampshire and Maine are the hardest.
• The total elevation gain of hiking the entire A.T. is equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest 16 times.
• The A.T. is home to an impressive diversity of plants and animals. Some animals you may see include black bears, moose, porcupines, snakes, woodpeckers, and salamanders. Some plants you may encounter include jack-in-the-pulpit, skunk cabbage, and flame azalea.
• About 2 to 3 million visitors walk a portion of the A.T. each year.
• The A.T. has hundreds of access points and is within a few hours drive of millions of Americans, making it a popular destination for day-hikers.
• “Thru-hikers” walk the entire Trail in a continuous journey. “Section-hikers” piece the entire Trail together over years. “Flip-floppers” thru-hike the entire Trail in discontinuous sections to avoid crowds, extremes in weather, or start on easier terrain.
• Most thru-hikers walk north, starting in Georgia in spring and finishing in Maine in fall, taking an average of 6 months.
• 1 in 4 who attempt a thru-hike successfully completes the journey

One in four?! That's right, mom, 1 in 4 thru-hikers gets eaten by bears (or hungry, sleep-deprived hikers)...  

For more info about the trail, visit the ATC's website: http://www.appalachiantrail.org

One week and counting!

Having a peaceful preparatory moment

Yep, that's a floor-to-ceiling map of the Appalachian Trail. Just shy of 2,200 miles, the AT traverses 14 states as it snakes its way from Georgia to Maine. And I'm planning to walk every last mile! In short, this journey is going to require a lot more physical, mental, and emotional stamina than the maintenance of a brief headstand in my empty apartment. 

But what about all the "other stuff" I will need? I've spent the last four months accumulating food and gear (after exhaustive research and bargain chasing). Gathering trail beta and perusing grocery store isles for 'good backpacking food' have become regular activities.  I've also become a regular at free WiFi hot-spots, I mean, local coffee shops. Because thousands of people hike all or part of the AT each year, there is a lot of advise to be tapped into in the cyber world (from granola bars to water purification, backpacks to boots, Leave-no-trace to back-country creature comforts, SOMEONE out there has something to say about it)... And after four months, I'm feeling anxious to pack up all of the s#!* that received five-star ratings on REI.com and open up the overflowing folder in my brain labeled "AT know-how". 

One week and counting...